If I'm Gonna Fall In Love
by WithLoveAlyssa
Summary: Drew Torres, a well known sportscaster, has a lot of bad luck when it comes to relationships. He thinks he has found the girl of his dreams, Clare Edwards, but there is one thing he must check; her fidelity. In order to do so, he asks his best friend Eli to get close to her. But what happens when the two get too close, especially with their past history?
1. Electric Twist

Chapter 1:Electric Twist (by A Fine Frenzy)

Buildings shot out of the ground and didn't stop until they were beyond the clouds. The beeping of the cars, the chatter of the people, and the sound of screeching tires coming to a halt was music to the busy streets. There were different kinds of people who strolled along the pavement; each had their own style. Some whistled loudly, trying to hail a taxi so they could head to work. Others waited impatiently at the bus stop, constantly glancing at their expensive watches to check the time, making sure they weren't the ones who were running late. Then there was the people of the younger crowd, possibly students, who took the train following their daily routine of going to school. This was the day-to-day city life of Toronto.

Amongst the various buildings, one of the taller ones, was the Toronto Publisher. Inside, there wasn't one person off task. All carried stacks of important papers in their hands, some were busy filing documents, and others were taking and receiving calls. Some of the workers looked quite nervous, mainly the interns fetching coffee, and the more mature ones who looked like they've been working here for years held a stern, almost stone-like gaze. To even get a job here, one would have to earn their place. This wasn't just a job to some. This was business.

A few more elevator stops, and one would find themselves at the very top floor of the Toronto Publisher. There was definitely a difference compared to all the other floors; there was less people, less chaos. There was no coffee being knocked over due to multiple workers running around, there were no interns to be spotted within radius, and there was less telephones that seemed to ring endlessly until the secretaries answered it. It was almost..quiet. Almost. That's because less than 20 workers occupied the space. They were the more valued and knowledgeable ones who worked for years to get to where they are today. The two rows of ten cubicles sat perfectly in the center of the floor. The walls surrounding them held the break room, where they all ate their lunch and discussed the popular topics of the day, and to the left of it was Mrs. Cole's office, their boss. She had the ability to be nice, but if several people ticked her off in one day, she'd explode within minutes.

Among the workspace, it would be discovered that most of the people who worked on this very floor had known and went to highschool with each other. Starting from the end, there was Katie Matlin and Marisol Lewis, the two who seemed to gossip the most. In between them there was a few unfamiliar faces, then there was Clare Edwards followed by Alli Bhandari. Clare was a good worker and writer, whom was rewarded with being editor-in-chief. Alli on the other hand slacked a little when it came to focusing on her work, but still managed to have interesting articles about the latest trends in the world of fashion. In the other row of desks, there was a few older faces that went to Lakehurst. The only person who was left in the row whom also went to Degrassi was of course Elijah Goldsworthy. It was no question that he'd be working here, with all of his successful works and plays he had written back in highschool. They hired him in a heartbeat.

With the thought of highschool, it is easily remembered that Eli and Clare used to have a close friendship together throughout their years of Degrassi. However, it slowly dispersed in their senior year. They both secretly wanted to be more than just best friends, but both of them were too scared of destroying what they already had to plunge themselves in a relationship. Before they knew it, they were being pulled in opposite directions, due to other blossoming relationships. With Eli working on his plays, he got close with Imogen Moreno, the set builder, and the two started dating. Clare also got busy with her newspaper club. Soon after she met Jake Martin, the two started dating as well. Eli and Clare's schedule of hanging out together slowly turned into not hanging out at all. Little deep conversations they used to have in their honors English class only turned into a quick 'hi' and 'bye' before and after class. In the hallways, their daily smiles and waves they used to exchange turned into not acknowledging each others existence at all. The thought of actually caring about one anothers life completely vanished. They both realized what happened, but didn't do anything to stop it. There would be times where they would both be alone, maybe right before they rested their heads at night and thought about each other. Wondered what he or she was up to, and what caused their lack of communication. Before they even had time to dwell on the topic, they'd push it aside thinking their friendship was too late to even be saved, let alone revived.

Sitting in the office today, Clare and Eli were barely acquaintances. They each were in charge of different parts of the newspaper, so they didn't speak to each other, both were grateful for; treated each other like they've never met once before.

Eli's POV

Feeling a sudden burst of inspiration, my fingers managed to find their ways back onto the keyboard after the quick session of writers block. Once I started, I couldn't stop. My fingers found a life of their own, moving so fast, typing every which way. Moments like this rarely occurred, so I had to take advantage, not knowing how long it would last. I re-read and viewed my previous sentences typed, hoping my thoughts made sense when put down onto the word document. I smiled knowing that they actually flowed with each other and would make sense to any other reader. I ferociously continued, hoping I could actually get this review done, and possibly leave early for the day.

"Almost done", I mumbled to myself. "Almos-"

"Hey, it turns out I didn't have to go in today. What do you say we go out tonight?"

Knowing that familiar voice all too well, I immediately closed my eyes tightly and sighed obnoxiously loud. The flow in my writing was interrupted and I knew that if I tried to go back and write more it would be a hopeless cause, having no more ammunition.

"Drew, I have work that needs to be done. I have a deadline, and because of your sudden intrusion I probably won't be done for another good hour or so." I replied, showing no effort to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"Well sorry." He stated, sitting in the nearest chair. "Just thought it would be good for you to go out, you know, ever since Imo-"

"Don't." I cut him off. "Don't even say her name. I don't need to be reminded."

Drew raised his arms in defense, mouthing an 'ok'. He got up from the chair, gesturing that he was going to leave. Without another word, he turned the corner and left, leaving me alone once more. However, just when I thought I'd have another opportunity to focus on my work, Drew managed to rip the thought away. He rounded the corner again, coming towards me this time with his hand grasping a fresh cup of coffee.

"I-I thought you were leaving..?" I asked, utterly confused, and somewhat disappointed.

"Oh I was." He replied, "but I thought you could use this coffee." He finished, now pushing the hot caffeinated beverage closer to me on my desk.

I eyed him curiously, knowing that this was too good to be true. What were his true intentions? I asked him a bunch of other times to bring me things, things that were within his arms reach, and he refused, often putting up a fight because he didn't want to get up.

"Okay, what do you want?" I questioned and took a sip of coffee. He must want something, seeing that he brought me something I didn't ask for, but really needed.

Drew smiled shyly. "Well," he started. "I saw a girl."

"Shocking, I didn't realize they still existed."

This time it was Drews turn to roll his eyes and get slightly irritated at my snarky comment. He should know by now that sarcasm was my top choice when it came to languages, one he always seemed so foreign to. Maybe that's why he hated it so much; he didn't fully understand the use of it.

"Anyways," he continued. "I was wondering if you could hook me up with her, you know, give her my phone number?"

Baffled by what he was asking me to do, I couldn't help but chuckle. Drew Torres, a man who has had more relationships than I can count, needed me to ask out a girl for him?

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I didn't realize I had wingman written on my resume. And you're out of luck because I'm not friends with anyone on this floor, let alone building. You won't need me anyways, any girl sticks to you like a magnet."

Drew looked down at his shoes, knowing that part of my statement was true.

"B-but I think this girl is different. Well at least she seems to be. The other girls meant nothing to me, and I'm sure it's the other way around as well."

He seemed vulnerable in that moment, and I actually felt bad for him. Since he is one of the top sportscasters, he's in the public eye most of the time. Needless to say, people take advantage of his somewhat fame. I think he recently started to figure this out on his own since this is the first time I've ever heard him say it out loud. Reality must have sunk in a little.

"Okay," I said finally giving in to his lifetime soap opera. "Who is she?"

I watched as his eyes scanned the office.

"I don't think she's here anymore, maybe she is on her break, but she had short light brown hair that fell to her shoulders. I think she had blue eyes."

I caught a bit of his description, but I wasn't really listening because I came up with a few things to add to my work that sat in front of me.

"Oh, look she's back. That's her right there, in the red blazer." Drew pointed as he shook my shoulder.

I looked up and almost spit out my coffee. I knew her features all too well: light brown, almost coffee colored hair with a few highlights to frame her face, piercing blue eyes that were too pure to steal a glance at, and perfect rose bud lips. Luckily Drew didn't seem to notice my sudden shock, he was busy being in a complete daze.

"How could you like her, when you don't even know her?" I questioned, grabbing napkins and cleaning up the mess I just created.

"She seems intelligent, I mean she works here, doesn't she? Plus she is cute."

"I think Clare Edwards is a bit out of your league. She's not the type of person who goes out with people like..well people like you."

Drew wasn't phased by my comment, but I regretted what I said the second it came out of my mouth, because I knew what he would ask next.

"Oh, so you do know little Ms. Clare Edwards, huh? I thought you didn't have any friends?"

"I-I don't."

"Well if you seem to know as much as what her type is, I think you're capable of slipping her my number." He placed a piece of paper down on my desk and slowly backed away.

"Get back to me when you're done." And with that, Drew left.

I didn't know what was worse. The fact that Drew found an interest in Clare, or that I'd have to talk to a girl I haven't spoken to in years. My mind was now clouded with this new information, and I knew that I'd be stuck here at work much longer than I wished for.

A/N: I had an outline for this story for the longest time, and now finally wrote the first chapter. Let me know what ya think and feel free to review. Reading reviews tends to motivate me more, hence quicker updates :)


	2. Call Me Maybe

Chapter 2: Call Me Maybe (by Carly Rae Jepsen)

Eli's POV

The second I heard the door unlock with it's usual 'click', I tossed my keys onto the nearest coffee table and fell backwards onto the leather couch. Shifting around to get comfortable, I discovered that I was more tired than I usually was when I come home from long hours at the office. My hands tried to work some magic while they massaged my temples, trying to eradicate the migraine that decided to randomly spring itself upon me. I gave up, now feeling that it was only getting worse and worse by the second. I shut my eyes, only to open them again at the feeling of my phone vibrating in my back pocket. I took it out while it flashed at me and immediately regretted the brightness setting I put it on, now being somewhat blinded by it. I squinted my eyelids and sure enough my guess at who it was was correct.

**"I'll be over in 5."-Drew**

Part of me wished that he had completely forgotten about today's earlier events. Groaning, I got up to go get changed into something more pleasant, something that made me feel less stiff and serious. Fumbling through the many draws, I discovered an old band t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants and lazily put them on, also not taking any time to remove my rings and guitar pick necklace. Satisfied with the loose fitting articles of clothing, I entered the living room again, only to hear the echo of a knock at my apartment door. Swinging the door widely open, in came Drew, looking a little frantic and nervous. He lead the way and sat himself on one of the four black stools that accompanied the marble kitchen countertop. He laced his fingers together and stared at me.

"Well?'' He started. "How did it go? What did she say? Did she say anything? She got my number, right?"

"Woah." I said, being overwhelmed by how fast each questioned was spit out. "Slow down, I'm not exactly ready to play twenty questions." I added while grabbing a water bottle from the fridge. I retreated back to the counter and was met with an anxious Drew.

"Well..?" He questioned again, trying to poke an answer out of me.

"We didn't..we didn't exactly talk to each other. Like at all." I took a sip of water to cure my sudden dry throat, waiting for him to respond.

"So you just left my number on her desk creepily, no explanation?"

There was a slight pause as I looked around the room. "Not exactly.." I trailed off.

"So I take it you didn't give my number to her at all? Great." He huffed.

"Sorry, socializing with people I rarely talk to isn't really my top priority at work. You have a mouth too, why don't you go talk to her?"

"Because I don't know how, okay!" He threw his hands up in the air out of frustration. "I've never had this type of problem before..normally the girl just starts talking to me first, and it leads to nothing serious and the only time it did, she ended up cheating on me."

Drew's anxious features were now long gone, and his face seemed to soften.

"I-I just don't know how." He finished in a whisper, more talking to himself this time than me.

"Okay, fine." Drew's head snapped up in a second. "I'll do it."

"For real?" He questioned, as if I was joking.

"Yes, but I can't guarantee anything."

"Thanks man, you're the best!" He gave me a quick hug, which made me feel weird, not being a fan of unnecessary physical contact, and left.

In that moment, I was just lucky enough to be alone again. I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into, but then again I didn't care. I felt my eyes grow heavy and my bed was clearly calling me. The thought of sleeping seemed like the most luxurious thing I could do.

The following day...

Clare's POV

I scanned the last few sentences, corrected a few lines, and turned back to Alli. "Okay, your article looks pretty good."

"Thanks." Alli replied with a smile. "I'm going to go get lunch, you want anything?"

"Uh, I think I'm good, but thanks."

She got up from her desk and turned away, heels clicking as she walked. If anyone could walk in heels for miles, it was Alli. I never understood how she did it. When I wore shoes that had my feet elevated at more than three inches, I would already be in pain after an hour or so. I chuckled at the thought of Alli actually wearing flats.

I turned back to my computer and stared at the words that filled the screen. The cursor continuously blinked at me, waiting for the next words to be typed. I could've sworn I felt a pair of eyes on me, but shook the feeling and continued. I typed a few more sentences, but erased them soon afterwards, not liking the lack of connection they had to my previous ones. I bowed my head and took a deep breath. This was the tough part about being a writer, always stopping and having constant pauses in between. There would be days where I lacked my usual passion for writing, or maybe didn't feel like putting my thoughts onto paper, but I knew I had to keep going. It's the only way I would ever get better.

The feeling of being watched came back, and this time I dared myself to look up. I turned my head every which way, probably looked a little crazy to those around, and finally my eyes found their destination. His eyes looked tired, somewhat hazy, but the forest green shade never failed to be unhidden. I returned his stare and he frantically looked away, almost in embarrassment that he had been caught red handed in the first place. It was almost like when a little boy is caught eating candy right before dinner. It was such an innocent action, that I even felt blush arise in my cheeks. Then I started to think about it. _Why was he staring?_ I knew this was dangerous territory to even give some thought for a quick second, but I couldn't help myself. Was the outfit I'm wearing dysfunctional looking? I looked down at myself. No, it couldn't be. It was just a navy blue blazer with dark jeans and flats. It was beyond the word 'basic'. I flattened my curls with my hands, thinking maybe that was the cause..or maybe there was something on my face? I grabbed my purse, rummaging through it trying to find my small compact mirror.

"Hey." Croaked a voice from behind me. Taken so off guard, I jumped a little. My mirror flung itself one way, and my purse went the other.

He laughed nervously. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He said, going to fetch my items that luckily weren't too far away.

"It's okay, I'm particularly jumpy today, thanks to that extra cup of coffee I had this morning." He handed me my things, and I smiled at him as a sign of gratitude.

"So,'' I started, trying to get rid of the sudden silence that fell between us. "What brings you over here to this side of town?''

"Well, as tiring as it was to walk all the way from my desk to yours, I decided to make the trip anyways." He joked as he handed me a piece of paper. "My uh friend was here the other day, and didn't get a chance to give you his number, so he wanted me to pass it on."

I glanced down at the paper that had a number scribbled down on it, along with a name written down next to it as well.

"So will you give him a call or a text so he doesn't kill me?" He asked.

"Sure thing."

"Great, thanks." He faced his back towards me and started slowly walking away.

"Wait!" I said as he turned around. "It was uh...it was nice talking to you again, Eli."

His face formed a thin smile. "You too, Clare."

A/N: This chapter was short and sweet, but I felt like this was a good place to stop. And 8 followers within the first chapter? That's kind of a big deal to me, so thank you (: Hope you continue reading.


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